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NASA astronauts tell teens they'll be the next generation in space

By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - If by chance you find yourself aboard a NASA spaceship, be sure to eat your lunch in front of a window and be very careful when using the zero-gravity toilet.

These tips come from a man who should know -- NASA astronaut Don Thomas. The Cleveland native has been on four space shuttle missions, logging more than 1,040 hours in space.

Thomas, 50, was the featured speaker Thursday for Physics Day at Cedar Point.

He told hundreds of teenagers inside the ballroom that they could be one of the next batch of NASA adventurers.

"You are the ones who will be going to the moon and going to Mars," he said. "I'll be an old retired astronaut sitting in a rocking chair."

Thomas predicted NASA will return to the moon around 2020 and send astronauts to Mars around 2030.

"Somebody in your age group will be probably the first person to walk on Mars," he said.

Thomas gave a slideshow about what it's like to go on a shuttle mission.

The shuttle shakes the astronauts who are strapped down inside the cockpit and then suddenly pushes them, Thomas said.

"It feels like somebody has their hand literally in the middle of your back," he said.

"Eight and a half minutes after launch, you're in space. It's a pretty amazing ride," he said.

Thomas used photos to show how astronauts in weightless space orbit consume refreshments. Drinks become little balls of liquid they have to snatch out of the air with their mouth, he said.

Sleeping and going to the bathroom becomes an adventure. To sleep, the astronauts strap themselves into a sleeping bag attached to a wall.

"Some of the astronauts will sleep up on the ceiling," he said.

Astronauts also have to follow a careful step-by-step procedure when they use the toilet, he said. Following the rules can prevent a very uncomfortable trip for the astronauts.

The view from space is wonderful, said Thomas, who showed a photo of a hurricane and one of an erupting volcano.

"I eat in front of the window, kind of like you eat at home in front of a TV," he said. "We get to see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets a day."

The students listening to Thomas included Brittany Dell, 15, and Stephen Shinault, 15, who are both ninth-graders at Lakeland High in Ashtabula.

"He kept our attention by having some comic relief," said Stephen, who said it's possible he might consider NASA for a career.

"I kind of like math and science things, so maybe," he said.

"I learned a lot of stuff," said Brittany, who said she currently is concentrating on becoming a veterinarian.

Tim Walsh, group sales manager for the Marketing Division at Cedar Point, said Physics Day at Cedar Point attracts middle school and high school students from schools in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and even Canada. There are hundreds of groups and thousands of students.

"It runs unofficially for about a week," Walsh said. "It's a fun way to teach the physics and still have a day at Cedar Point."

Elyria High School junior Kelly Ruth, right, uses a declination angle measurement tool Thursday while lookin at the Space Spiral with classmate Jessica Shober. Kelly and Jessica, along with hundreds of other high school and middle school students, participated in Cedar Point's Physics Day and Middle School Math and Science Day. - Register photo/ABIGAIL BOBROW

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